Owen Sound Sun Timeshttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 21:23:20 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8Tom Thomson gallery calling all community curatorshttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/tom-thomson-gallery-calling-all-community-curators
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/tom-thomson-gallery-calling-all-community-curators#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 20:59:19 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/tom-thomson-gallery-calling-all-community-curatorsMembers of the public are being called on to select their favourite pieces from the Tom Thomson Art Gallery vault. The art gallery is once again holding its Community Curators show this fall, where individuals and organizations have the opportunity to select their favourite pieces from the gallery’s permanent collection to go on display. “We have done the exhibition in the past, but haven’t done it in a few years so we are bringing it back,” said curator Heather McLeese. “It is a unique opportunity to see the permanent collection, pick a favourite work and support the gallery.” For an individual donation of $125 or $300 for an organization, the selected works will go on display at the gallery during the show from Sept. 28 to Nov. 24. McLeese said the show is really open to anyone who wants to take part. “We have had lots of our members or patrons participate in the past,” said McLeese. “We have had people who have never been into the gallery participate who are local to the area.” Participants in the show are provided with a unique opportunity to go into the art gallery’s vault and have a closer look at some of the art gallery’s more than 2,500 artworks. It includes close to 75 pieces related to Thomson himself, over 90 pieces by the Group of Seven, 42 pieces by world-renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky, as well as works by Emily Carr, John Hartman, and many others. McLeese said that in the past some participants have specific works in mind when they registered for the show, while others look through the collection before making a selection. “There is a huge range for people and usually they end up picking something they weren’t expecting to or that they find of interest,” said McLeese. Once the individual or organization selects their piece, they have the opportunity to work with gallery staff to learn more about the work and create a “curatorial statement” about their choice. “It is a chance to just play the role of a curator,” said McLeese. “Some people don’t know what that experience is like, so we guide them through it.” McLeese said they already have some individuals who are taking part in the show, but they are looking for more. The deadline to register is Sept. 1. Anyone interested in taking part in the show can call the gallery at 519-376-1932 or download the Community Curators registration form at tomthomson.org. Once completed, the form can be mailed to Hillary Weppler at hweppler@tomthomson.org. All the proceeds raised from the show go towards caring for the collection.
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/tom-thomson-gallery-calling-all-community-curators/feed0Bruce Trail hike raising funds for cancer researchhttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/bruce-trail-hike-raising-funds-for-cancer-research
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/bruce-trail-hike-raising-funds-for-cancer-research#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 20:45:43 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/bruce-trail-hike-raising-funds-for-cancer-researchA mother and daughter’s month-long hike of a 500-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Trail is approaching the halfway point. And Lynn Amatuzio and her daughter Mia of Waterloo, who were in the Owen Sound area on Tuesday, have already raised more than $15,000 of their $20,000 goal for cancer research. “It has been so hot and humid, and we are sweating like crazy, but it has been wonderful,” Lynn Amatuzio said. “The Bruce Trail is just beautiful and we are very fortunate to have that in Ontario.” The Amatuzios decided to go on the hike together because they know a lot of people who have been touched by or passed away from cancer in the past couple of years. “We thought we would do this just to show them that we love them,” said Amatuzio. “We just want to raise money, which is all going to research, so hopefully one day there won’t be the word cancer anymore. It is going to be done and over with.” For Lynn, the hike is similar to one she made 20 years ago, raising awareness and money for breast cancer. That hike in 1998 was done after a friend of hers lost a breast to breast cancer in her mid-20s. Amatuzio said she thought of doing another hike, and asked her 14-year-old daughter Mia if she would want to do it with her after the mother of one of Mia’s good friends was diagnosed with ovarian cancer late last year. Amatuzio said she would understand if her daughter didn’t want to take up half of her summer hiking the trail, but after 15 minutes of talking about it Mia was in. “We started planning right then and there and here we are halfway through it already,” said Amatuzio. “So far so good.” Amatuzio said their family is one that enjoys the outdoors, doing a lot of canoeing, camping and hiking, so Mia had a good idea of what she was getting herself into. “We have been on long hikes on the Bruce Trail before,” said Amatuzio. “But doing 31 days straight is not something we do often.” She said the experience of spending so much time with Mia on the trail has been amazing. “We fool around a lot, joke around and talk to cows — whatever we need to do for the day to go by,” said Amatuzio. “We are having a lot of fun and taking the time when there is something to stop and look at. We are not in a rush so we are kind of enjoying it at the same time.” The Amatuzios set out on their journey on Aug. 1 from the Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Nature Reserve near Duntroon, with plans to finish up at the Tobermory Bruce Trail cairn on Aug 31. Amatuzio said the hike has been everything she thought it would be, except it has been a lot warmer than she expected. They each pack about four litres of drinking water per day. “20 years ago it wasn’t this hot at all,” said Amatuzio. “I don’t remember sweating this much, but it is all good.” For more information or to donate to the Amatuzio’s 2018 Hike for Cancer Research, go to http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/IFE_ON_Event/IFE_ON_General_?team_id=369827&pg=team&fr_id=23890
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/bruce-trail-hike-raising-funds-for-cancer-research/feed0Owen Sound to discuss arbitration process, court security costs with ministers at AMOhttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/owen-sound-to-discuss-arbitration-process-court-security-costs-with-ministers-at-amo
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/owen-sound-to-discuss-arbitration-process-court-security-costs-with-ministers-at-amo#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 20:26:46 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/owen-sound-to-discuss-arbitration-process-court-security-costs-with-ministers-at-amoOwen Sound will be seeking help with some old issues from Ontario’s new government. City officials are set to meet with two Progressive Conservative ministers Monday to discuss Owen Sound’s long-standing grievances with both the provincial interest arbitration system and the payment of court security costs at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa. City manager Wayne Ritchie said Owen Sound is hoping Labour Minister Laurie Scott, who is set to meet with city delegates at 3:30 p.m., will help municipalities to stem the rising costs of emergency services. “We have two points we’ll certainly try to get across. On wage settlements, arbitrators continue to show no regard for citizens’ ability to pay,” he said Tuesday in an interview. Arbitrated settlements for firefighter wages, for example, should reflect the community’s average household income, but that’s not currently happening, he said. “Our second concern is that we’d like the minister to understand, particularly around emergency services, that elected councils should have the ability to set the service level for their residents,” he said. Those levels, which, for the fire department, include things like the type of fire service and minimum staffing levels, are currently determined through the collective bargaining process. And, since police and firefighters are considered essential workers and cannot strike, that process relies on an arbitrator to resolve disputes if a settlement cannot be reached. Emergency services costs account for nearly half of Owen Sound’s overall operating budget, with the police department costing about $7 million in 2018 and the fire serving requiring nearly $5 million in property tax revenue. More than 90 per cent of both departments’ costs are for wages and benefits. Last year, 27 members of the police department, including constables and sergeants, and 18 fire hall staff, including first-class firefighters, were on the province’s public sector salary disclosure list for earning more than $100,000 annually. Owen Sound Police Chief Bill Sornberger said he is not aware of contract negotiations between the police board and Owen Sound Police Association ever going to arbitration. But it’s been a different story at the fire department. In 2015, an arbitrator awarded Owen Sound firefighters a 10.7 per cent retroactive pay hike for the three-year period from 2012 to Dec. 31, 2014. Mayor Ian Boddy, in a 2017 letter to the editor in which he expressed concerns about rising fire service costs, said those increases are “well above” both inflation and the pay hikes for other city employees. An arbitrator also awarded in 2011 retroactive wage hikes to city firefighters of 3.6 per cent for 2009, 3.8 per cent for 2010 and 3.6 per cent for 2011. Collective bargaining for a new contract between the city and Owen Sound Professional Fire Fighters Association, expected to cover the period from 2015 to 2018, is also going to arbitration. A meeting is set for Oct. 29. Boddy said city officials met with former Liberal Labour Minister Kevin Flynn in 2015 to discuss similar concerns with the provincial arbitration system. Flynn promised to fix the problems during his tenure, but that never happened, he said. “We’ve all seen the pictures of the firefighters surrounding premier (Dalton) McGuinty on election night and premier (Kathleen) Wynne a couple days before (the election). The firefighters’ associations have done a lot of work for the Liberal Party of Ontario so with arbitration, it seemed to make it difficult to make changes,” Boddy said. “We’re hoping to get changes with the new government.” Boddy said Owen Sound has been consulting with other municipalities that are also concerned about the impact of arbitrated settlements for emergency services so they can each present a similar case to the current minister. AMO, which has also been calling for changes to the arbitration system, says legislation requires arbitrators to take into account the economic circumstances of a local municipal government and its fiscal health when settling labour disputes. However, many arbitrators are not taking that information into account. Boddy said the provincial government only needs to direct arbitrators to follow the existing rules. “When you look at our income levels, the size of our city, et cetera, we’re certainly not the same as Oakville, which is a very, very wealthy city with a very high average income. And they have an ability to pay those types of bills that we don’t have, so it’s hard to be placed on the same level,” he said. Before the meeting with the labour minister, city officials are scheduled to discuss court security costs with MPP Michael Tibollo, minister of community safety and correctional services. The Liberal government announced in 2008 that it would upload $125 million in court security and prisoner transportation costs from municipalities over a seven-year period, from 2012 to 2018. But, even with the upload, Owen Sound is expecting to pay about $345,000 for court security costs in 2018. The city has long argued that the province should cover the entire bill since it’s a provincial courthouse and only a fraction of the cases heard there relate to Owen Sound residents. “So we’ll take another kick at the can with that one with the new government,” Boddy said. Like wage increases for firefighters, Ritchie said the amount of security required at the courthouse is not decided by the city. “So we’re paying for something over which city council has no control and there have been changes in those service levels recently so we’d just like a review by the province,” he said.
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/owen-sound-to-discuss-arbitration-process-court-security-costs-with-ministers-at-amo/feed0Motorcyclist hurt in Brockton crashhttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/motorcyclist-hurt-in-brockton-crash
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/motorcyclist-hurt-in-brockton-crash#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 13:40:49 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/motorcyclist-hurt-in-brockton-crashA motorcyclist suffered non-life threatening injuries after a collision in Brockton on Sunday. Just before 4 p.m., South Bruce OPP received a report of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of Hwy. 9 and Bruce Rd. 3 in the former Brant Twp. Police arrived to find that a passenger vehicle and a motorcycle were involved in the collision. The 37-year-old woman from Mississauga, who was driving the passenger vehicle was charged with starting from a stopped position not in safety. The 47-year-old Goderich man who was driving the motorcycle received treatment for non-life threatening injuries at a local hospital, it said in a news release. Anyone with information that can help police is asked to call 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. A web tip can be submitted at www.cstip.ca.
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/motorcyclist-hurt-in-brockton-crash/feed0Gas cost motion stalls at Owen Sound city councilhttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/gas-cost-motion-stalls-at-owen-sound-city-council
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/gas-cost-motion-stalls-at-owen-sound-city-council#respondTue, 14 Aug 2018 13:23:51 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/gas-cost-motion-stalls-at-owen-sound-city-council

A councillor’s motion related to the cost of gas in Owen Sound fuelled plenty of debate at the council table Monday.

But, in the end, council voted 6-3 against Coun. Peter Lemon’s resolution, which would have directed staff to write letters to Bruce- Grey-Owen Sound MP Larry Miller and MPP Bill Walker to request their help in getting “oil companies to explain why their gas pricing can vary so much even between neighbouring municipalities.”

Lemon said fuel prices have been, on average in recent months, about seven to 10 cents per litre higher in Owen Sound than in nearby communities like Meaford, Collingwood, Barrie and Mount Forest.

“I just think that it’s complete manipulation. I can find no justification for Owen Sound being, what it was at one point, 10 cents more than most of Ontario,” he said in an interview.

He said the higher cost has been detrimental to Owen Sound, its businesses and residents.

“If we don’t say something, it will happen again and again and again,” he said.

“I think the federal government has an obligation to look into this because if this is a free market, how come everybody goes up at exactly the same moment in Owen Sound and yet they don’t go up 25 miles away. They sit where they are. I just feel that we’re being ripped.”

He said he would like to see the same price for fuel across the province.

Most of the councillors who voted against Lemon’s motion said they did so because fuel prices are outside of council’s purview.

“I don’t think that we, as a municipal council, really have a mandate of managing gas prices or trying to manage (them), although I do agree this is happening,” Coun. Marion Koepke said during the meeting.

“Gas companies, it’s a private, competitive market just like grocery stores are private, competitive. The consumer has the option of going to shop around to get what they need for a lower price elsewhere. But I don’t feel that it’s something that our council can control.”

Coun. Brian O’Leary said Ontario Premier Doug Ford campaigned on a promise to reduce the cost of fuel by 10 cents per litre. He said reductions in gas prices will impact the amount of money the city receives in provincial gas tax revenue, which it uses to help fund its transit system.

“If we have him (Ford) lowering gas prices on our behalf, it’s going to come back to bite us in the end,” he said.

Along with Lemon, Deputymayor Arlene Wright and Coun. Richard Thomas also supported the motion. “We’re not talking about mounting a million-dollar offensive here. We’re talking about sending a letter,” Thomas said.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong when something like this is picked up whether it’s our purview or not. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with standing up for the citizens of our community and saying there’s something wrong here and somebody needs to take a look at this.”

Lemon notified council July 23 of his plans to present the gas price motion.

At the time, fuel prices in Owen Sound were about 133.9 cents per litre, while the cost was 126.6 cents per litre in Meaford and around 124.4 in Collingwood, Barrie and Mount Forest, according to the website GasBuddy.com.

Lemon said it seems the gas prices in Owen Sound and in nearby communities have equalized somewhat since then.

Gas was about 130.1 cents per litre in Owen Sound Monday, the website said, and was 126.3 in Meaford, 124.9 in Collingwood, 132.6 in Barrie and 127.9 in Mount Forest.

The Sun Times spoke with both Miller and Walker after Lemon presented his notice of motion in July.

Both shared his concerns about the price of fuel in Owen Sound compared to other communities, but said there isn’t much that they can do to fix the issue.

“All I can do is raise my voice about it,” Miller said. “The reality is that there’s not a lot that I can do. It’s not like government sets the price.”

Walker said he could mention Owen Sound’s concerns during a caucus meeting.

“It’s a fine edge when you start saying that we could control it because where do you stop with any other product or services out there?” he said.

]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/gas-cost-motion-stalls-at-owen-sound-city-council/feed0Blitz nabs speeders on Bruce Peninsulahttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/blitz-nabs-speeders-on-bruce-peninsula
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/blitz-nabs-speeders-on-bruce-peninsula#respondMon, 13 Aug 2018 20:47:17 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/blitz-nabs-speeders-on-bruce-peninsulaA weekend traffic blitz by the OPP on the Bruce Peninsula resulted in more than 50 Highway Traffic Act charges against drivers. The Bruce Peninsula OPP and the OPP Highway Safety Division conducted the traffic enforcement blitz on Saturday and Sunday, with officers patrolling from the air and on the road looking for aggressive and unsafe drivers. During the blitz, six drivers were charged with stunt driving for going at least 50 kilometres per hour over the speed limit. Police also charged three drivers for passing when the roadway was not clear of approaching traffic, one driver for failing to slow down and proceed with caution for an emergency vehicle and 44 drivers with speeding. “This past weekend’s traffic enforcement event was part of the ongoing effort by Bruce Peninsula OPP to continue to maintain a zero tolerance for those who choose to operate a motor vehicle on Highway 6 in a manner that affects the safety of others on the highway,” Bruce Peninsula OPP Interim Detachment Commander Staff Sgt. Paul Richardson said in a news release.
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/blitz-nabs-speeders-on-bruce-peninsula/feed0Fun Day on the Farm a successhttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/fun-day-on-the-farm-a-success
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/fun-day-on-the-farm-a-success#respondMon, 13 Aug 2018 19:53:37 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/fun-day-on-the-farm-a-successThe Fun Day at the Farm turned out to be a very successful day as well, as over $13,000 was raised to help relieve world hunger. The fourth annual event was held Saturday at the dairy farm of Larry and Heather Parkin east of Owen Sound. An initiative of the Owen Sound Alliance Church’s Harvest for Hunger, it was the most successful one yet in raising funds for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and giving families an opportunity to have some fun together on the farm. “We raised over $13,000, which is up quite a bit from previous years. We had been doing around $10,000, so that is a pretty significant increase,” Heather Parkin said. “We are thrilled.” More than 1,000 people attended this year’s event which included, musical entertainment, horse and buggy rides, a scavenger hunt, Farmers Olympics, face and henna painting, a corn maze, a bouncy cow, animal and antique tractor displays, Inter Township fire trucks, sheep shearing and a silent auction. About 500 people attended a barbecue later in the afternoon. Parkin said they enjoy holding the event each year as a way of giving families something fun to do and educating people about life on the farm. “What makes us happy is seeing the kids having a great time with animals or even on a pile of dirt,” said Parkin. “It was a full house on that sand pile a lot of the time.” This year’s event was expanded to include a children’s barrel train, which proved to be one of the most popular attractions. Organizers also partnered with the Chatsworth Agricultural Society, which did the poultry and antique displays for the event. The ag society has been forced to cancel its fall fair for the second year in a row after the arena in Chatsworth was condemned last year. “It was a great partnership for both of us really,” said Parkin. “Part of their mandate is education so they felt this was a good venue and kind of worked in with the fall fair-type idea.” The funds raised for the event will go to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, which provides food to people in times of crisis in the developing world, helps people grow more food to better feed themselves and provides nutritional support to malnourished people. The $13,000 raised at the event this year will be combined with proceeds from crops grown by three area farmers, which is expected to bring the total to over $30,000. Funds are matched 4:1 by the Canadian government. Over the first three years the initiative has raised over $81,000.
]]>https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/fun-day-on-the-farm-a-success/feed0Charges withdrawn against one of two senior OPP officershttps://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/charges-withdrawn-against-one-of-two-senior-opp-officers
https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/charges-withdrawn-against-one-of-two-senior-opp-officers#respondMon, 13 Aug 2018 13:33:41 +0000https://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/news/local-news/charges-withdrawn-against-one-of-two-senior-opp-officersCharges have been withdrawn against one of two senior OPP officers stemming from an ATV accident at Cape Croker in 2011 in which another police officer was hurt. The charges, announced by police in June 2017, were withdrawn July 27 against Kevin Muir, 38, who when charged was an acting staff sergeant and operations manager with Grey County OPP. He was charged with obstructing justice April 15, 2011 and with breach of trust April 15 to 22, 2011 in Bruce County, and dangerous driving causing bodily harm April 15, 2011 at Neyaashiinigmiing, or Cape Croker. The charges were withdrawn after preliminary hearings dates set over four days in April and on July 16, court staff confirmed. Wayne Thompson, 50, a 29-year veteran police officer and a Bruce Peninsula OPP detachment commander when charged, is to speak to his charges — obstruction and breach of trust — on Oct. 9 in the Superior Court of Justice. Both were suspended with pay as required under the Police Services Act. The charges stem from a collision in April 2011 involving off-road vehicles which left one person with serious injuries, the OPP said in a June 14, 2017 news release. The Sun Times reported on April 30, 2011 that police charged Muir, who was 31, of Georgian Bluffs, with following too close, an offence under the Highway Traffic Act, after a collision involving two all-terrain vehicles that left an off-duty Bruce Peninsula OPP officer in serious condition April 15. A 40-year-old Grey County man was taken to Wiarton hospital for assessment and was later airlifted to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, police said in an April 17, 2011 news release. Later, police confirmed it was an off-duty Bruce Peninsula OPP officer who was injured. Court records show Muir requested a trial but a resolution was reached instead. He pleaded guilty to “fail to turn out to avoid collision” and paid $110 in a fine and surcharge on Nov. 30, 2011. The Sun Times published a story May 12, 2011 in which Cape Croker Police Sgt. Rob King said the injured off-duty Bruce Peninsula OPP officer was in “serious but stable condition” and the injuries were “not life-threatening at all.”
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